Compare and contrast the styles of both Willian Golding and Emily Bronte in their novels Lord of the Flies and Wuthering Heights.

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Introduction

COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE STYLES OF BOTH WILLIAM GOLDING AND EMILY BRONTE IN THEIR NOVELS "LORD OF THE FLIES" AND "WUTHERING HEIGHTS". Both Golding and Bronte have their own individual style, which contributes to the originality and flair of each novel. However although they are different they share similar devices, which they use to full effect. Images and symbolism play a large parting "Lord of the Flies" and "Wuthering Heights". Lord of the Flies can be viewed like an onion - it has a simple story line with ever increasing "rings" of meaning around that central core. As a fable it is uncomplicated, but as the surrounding "rings" cover many deeper issues, for instance a number of symbolic objects. The conch is more than just a shell, useful for attracting attention and summoning the boys to meetings. It is like a church bell calling the faithful and embodies some of the ritual of religious ceremonies. For the boys on the island it also imposes a sense of order. Only one person can hold the conch, so only one person can speak at one time, and unlike Jack's assemblies, everyone is given that right. The conch can therefore symbolise free speech, democracy, order and unity. These are the things that are of key importance for a successful civilisation, and when they are not present chaos can emerge. Piggy's glasses are more than an aid to his poor eyesight. Glasses represent the intelligence of piggy above the rest of the boys. They represent his ability to think clearly. To the boys the glasses symbolise fire, without which, as Ralph repeatedly proclaims, they cannot be rescued or cook the meat which Jack provides. Fire then is representative of life, but sadly and ironically, it is also the element, which causes the death of the boy with the "mulberry coloured birthmark". By association the glasses symbolise life and death - knowledge, power and dominance. ...read more.

Middle

This image shows that in their relationship, Edgar is the one who always has to "bend over backwards" to please Cathy. The thorns and the honeysuckle don't belong together. The thorn will eventually choke the honeysuckle. They cannot "grow" and "flourish" in the same place. They are meant to be kept separate, as they are complete opposites. Cathy and Edgar relationship should not be, as they are not "compatible" and Nellie as an onlooker sees this. Another thing that differs in both the novels is the handling of time. In Lord of the Flies the story is straight foreword, ongoing. This is effective in its own simplistic way. We are unsure about the time scale however, since there is no indication of how long the boys are on the island. In Wuthering Heights events don't happen in chronological order. Bronte uses this technique of flashbacks for the readers to find out the past. They put emphasis of the past on the present, linking the fate of Heathcliff and Cathy with that of Catherine and Hareton. Also by returning at key moments to Nelly and Lockwood in the "present" it breaks up the narrative and allows us to think about the significance of events. The way the two stories are told are also different. In Lord of the Flies Golding tells the story which again is effective as it is a simple story line and lets the readers concentrate on the significance of any events, whereas in Wuthering Heights Bronte uses Ellen Dean (Nellie) and Mr Lockwood to tell the story. Lockwood's style is an educated, literacy language, precise in its description of what he sees for example of the Heights in chapter 1 "..above the chimney were sundry villainous old guns, and a couple of horse pistols, and by way of ornament, three gaudily painted canisters disposed along its ledge. The floor was of smooth white stone: the chairs high-backed, primitive structures, painted green: one or two heavy black ones lurking in the shade...." ...read more.

Conclusion

Golding intended to convey a number of messages in his modern "fable". His numerous themes were intended to give the reader something to think about. Golding uses the island to represent and symbolise the world, and the group of boys to represent the different societies and communities on the earth, containing people from all nationalities and backgrounds. Society holds everyone together, and without these conditions, our ideals, values, and basic ideas of right and wrong are lost. Without society's rigid rules, anarchy and savagery come to light. Golding is also illustrating the fact that morals come from our surroundings, and if there is no civilisation, we will lose these values. Some particular themes which are introduced at the beginning of the novel and are carried through are: people will abuse their power when it is not earned, when given a chance; people often single out other people who do not fit in with society's strict stereotypes to degrade, i.e. the mockery made of piggy, to improve their own security; you can only cover up inner savagery for a while before it is exposed for what it really is, given the right situation; and the fear of the unknown can be a powerful force which can either turn you to insight or hysteria. William Golding wanted his readers to turn over in their minds, and consider the opinion - "society is only held up by the rigid rules by which it is governed". This boils down to the question all readers must ask themselves "without the stiff rules and regulations which run our societies, would we really be savages?" Lord of the Flies and Wuthering Heights are similar in several ways and can be compared quite closely with some of the various the themes they contain and with some of the devices their authors William Golding, and Emily Bronte use. However more importantly, each novel has its own unique style, which allows each novel to stand out on its own for its originality and flair, without which would not make them the outstanding, well written novels they are. RENUKA PHILIP ...read more.

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